title: Metabolic engineering of Clostridium cellulolyticum for production of isobutanol from cellulose.
abstract: Producing biofuels directly from cellulose, known as consolidated bioprocessing, is believed to reduce costs substantially compared to a process in which cellulose degradation and fermentation to fuel are accomplished in separate steps. Here we present a metabolic engineering example for the development of a Clostridium cellulolyticum strain for isobutanol synthesis directly from cellulose. This strategy exploits the host's natural cellulolytic activity and the amino acid biosynthesis pathway and diverts its 2-keto acid intermediates toward alcohol synthesis. Specifically, we have demonstrated the first production of isobutanol to approximately 660 mg/liter from crystalline cellulose by using this microorganism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 5531 Boelter Hall, 420 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Higashide
authors.forename: Yongchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yunfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D056804:Biofuels; D000440:Butanols / Q000378:metabolism*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism*; D046973:Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005285:Fermentation; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D056804:Biofuels; D000440:Butanols; C040507:isobutyl alcohol; D002482:Cellulose